Donkeys are Cute

 1 – A Surprise in the Park

It was a sunny afternoon in Valencia, and Lucía, an eleven-year-old girl, was playing in Turia Park.

     She loved the park. There were tall trees, green grass, and the smell of oranges in the air. Children were riding bikes, dogs were running, and the sun made everything shine.

Lucía was skipping along the path when she saw something strange.
Under a palm tree stood a tiny, brown donkey.

“¡Ay! A baby donkey!” she said softly.

The donkey had big, soft eyes and long ears that wiggled when he moved.
Lucía looked around. No one was near.

“Where is your family, little one?” she asked.

The donkey just looked at her and made a small sound:
“Hee-haw…” — but very quietly, like a whisper.

Lucía smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

She took her scarf and made a little rope to guide the donkey. Together, they walked home through the park, across the bridge, and down the street to Lucía’s house.

2 – A Donkey at Home

When Lucía opened the gate, her mother gasped.
“Lucía! What is that?”

“It’s a baby donkey, Mamá! He was all alone in Turia Park. Can we keep him?”

Her father came outside and shook his head. “A donkey? In our garden?”

But the little donkey looked up at them with his big eyes and made a happy sound:
“Hee-haw!”

Then he tried to eat one of Mamá’s flowers.
Lucía giggled. “He’s hungry!”

Her mother sighed. “He is very cute… What shall we call him?”

Lucía thought for a moment. The donkey’s fur was soft and the color of honey.
“Let’s call him Honey,” she said.

From that day, Honey became part of the family.
He slept in the small garden and liked to chase butterflies. He liked carrots. Every morning, he would wait by the door when Lucía left for school.

One day, Lucía had an idea. “Honey, come to school with me!”

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3 – Honey Goes to School

The next morning, Lucía led Honey to the bus stop.
When the bus arrived, the driver looked at the donkey and said, “No animals on the bus!”

But Honey didn’t move. He made a funny little song:
“Hee-hee-hee-haw!”
Then he kicked up his legs and danced a tiny dance.

The bus driver laughed so hard he had to wipe his eyes.
“OK, OK! Come on, Honey!” he said.

At school, everyone stopped and stared.
“A donkey!” cried Lucía’s friends. “Can we pet him?”

Honey wagged his tail and brayed softly. All the children smiled and clapped.
     Even the teachers came outside to see.

The principal said, “This little donkey has made everyone happy. Let’s adopt him as our school donkey!”

From that day on, all the students took turns feeding and brushing Honey.
He went on walks by the beautiful beach in El Saler, where he loved to feel the sea breeze on his face.

Lucía watched him run by the waves and said, “Honey, you’re the sweetest donkey in Valencia!”

Honey gave a joyful “Hee-haw!” — and everyone laughed.

 The End

                                         English–Spanish Glossary

English Word	Spanish Translation	Example in English	Example in Spanish
grass	hierba / césped	The grass in the park is green.	La hierba del parque es verde.
shine	brillar	The sun makes everything shine.	El sol hace que todo brille.
skip	saltar / brincar	Lucía likes to skip along the path.	A Lucía le gusta saltar por el camino.
path	camino / sendero	She walks on the path in the park.	Ella camina por el sendero del parque.
wiggle	mover / menear (de un lado a otro)	The donkey’s ears wiggle when he moves.	Las orejas del burro se menean cuando se mueve.
scarf	bufanda / pañuelo	Lucía uses her scarf to guide the donkey.	Lucía usa su bufanda para guiar al burro.
sigh	suspirar	Her mother sighs and smiles.	Su madre suspira y sonríe.
wipe	limpiar / secar	The driver wipes his eyes when he laughs.	El conductor se seca los ojos cuando se ríe.